State to help with Olympic plans

WASHINGTON — Gov. Blagojevich expressed enthusiasm Tuesday for a Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympics and said the state would contribute money if called upon.

"We're in the mix," Blagojevich said. "Chicago is up against cities like San Francisco and a few others, but we're interested in being as helpful as possible."

As for financial assistance, "The state would be prepared to help if that was necessary," the governor said.

Blagojevich made his remarks to reporters on a trip with Mayor Daley to the nation's capital, where the two leaders outlined their joint legislative agenda to members of the Illinois congressional delegation.

Daley said Tuesday that several potential Olympic Village sites are under discussion.

The University of Illinois at Chicago campus and the Near South Side property owned by Michael Reese Hospital could be candidates for the village, which would house thousands of athletes, though other sites throughout the city also are being discussed, Daley said.

Some of the Olympic venues could spill over into Indiana or Wisconsin, although that isn't certain, he said.

Mayoral aides insisted that no Olympic Village proposal was presented in Friday's meeting with U.S. Olympic officials.

Dr. Enrique Beckmann, CEO of Michael Reese, 2929 S. Ellis Ave., said it was news to him to read a published report Tuesday that his hospital's property had been selected.

No city officials have contacted him, and he has not been privy to any discussions, he said.

But Michael Reese welcomes the possibility of new development on its 37-acre site, according to Beckmann.

Mayoral aides said there are no plans to use Soldier Field as an Olympics staging area, but Daley acknowledged discussions about a landscaped promenade around the stadium. He also said planners are studying the possibility of constructing a stadium that could be dismantled when the Games are over.

In any case, the Olympics should leave the city a little better off, the mayor asserted. The vacated Olympic Village could provide new affordable housing, and landscaping improvements would remain to spruce up the lakefront, he said.